Siderurgy

'Too much confusion over the former Ilva, so no one will invest'

Interview with the president of Confindustria Taranto, Salvatore Toma

9 August 2025

3' min read

'Taranto is giving itself an anti-industry image. We are getting signs of this. More than a few entrepreneurs, both Italian and foreign, who were to come here to invest outside Ilva, for example in the renewables sector, told us: we are afraid to come to Taranto because we see an anti-industrial attitude from the social reality'.

Salvatore Toma, president of Confindustria Taranto, is following developments in the former Ilva case for the economic impact it has on the city, on jobs and on the viability of the allied industries, but is also concerned about the parallel effects it could have.

SAlvatore toma Presidente Confindustria taranto

The business associations, Confindustria Taranto, Confapi Taranto and Aigi, have asked for a meeting with Mayor Piero Bitetti. Why?

We want to ask the mayor what is going on. And explain to him that we are receiving signals that are not positive, that we are very worried and that the diversification of the economy could be blown. We will tell him that we necessarily have to make the electric furnaces and the Dri, pre-cooking plants in Taranto. We cannot make the electric furnaces in one place and the plants that feed them somewhere else. We will point out to the mayor that it is harmful to go to the wall. We need to confront each other to find the best solution.

But the mayor does not say he does not want the agreement. He does not want the agreement proposed by Mimit and announces that he will present a new draft.

But if it is Plan C, i.e. three electric ovens and one Dri, it does not hold up. If there is yet another proposal, we don't know it. That's why we want to meet the mayor either with the city council or with the group leaders before the 12th, when we will be on call with Minister Urso.

Can the ex-Ilva affair deflagrate?

The risk is there. We must always remember that there is also a social issue that in the Taranto area affects over ten thousand workers and their families. Everyone says that we do not want to close the former Ilva, but with this attitude we could close it anyway.

The obstacle on the road to decarbonisation is called the regasifier ship. Which is needed to get the large quantities of gas needed for the new plants, but the city and its institutions do not want the ship.

We did not even touch the subject of gas. Now, if a sustainable solution is found and there are other possibilities when gas is needed, because gas will be needed, then we will apply these, otherwise, if there are no alternatives, why say no to the arrival of even a temporary regasification ship? Why not locate it in an area that does not compromise the role of the port? The solutions must not only be sustainable from an environmental point of view, but also from an economic one if we do not want to lose opportunities, drive away investors and confirm the image of an industry-averse Taranto.

More than one hypothesis has been put forward on the location of the ship. What do you think?

In the meantime, the starting step can be supplied with the gas that already arrives at the factory. This is what the Mimit technical committee says when it states that the AdI site is connected to the national gas grid with a total capacity of about 2 billion cubic metres per year, enough to cover the existing production cycle and part of phase 1 of both options. Phase 1 is in 2029 and foresees for scenario A, 2 blast furnaces, an electric furnace and 2 plants between Dri and CO2 capture-storage, while for scenario B, 2 blast furnaces and an electric furnace. So let's see and handle the gas problem gradually.

Decarbonisation has been demanded for years to cut polluting emissions. Now that you want to put it in the pipeline, the conditions to achieve it are being obstructed. But isn't the real goal to shut down the steelworks?

We look at reality and if there are prejudices, it is right that they are eliminated.

On the plan to decarbonise it is noted that it is not known how it will be financed and whether there will be investors.

From the State we must have guarantees on resources. We will reiterate this to Urso on the 12th. There is a billion from the Fsc available for a Dri, but since we will need more than a billion here, will the State provide it? We have to make sure of that. Another thing is that the companies in the area are involved. We ask for a site agreement to involve the Taranto supply chain and that a bonus element be recognised for those who commit to using these companies. In addition, we ask that the call for tenders provide for a bonus score for environmental regeneration projects involving areas adjacent to the plant so that the impact, including the visual impact, is mitigated.

Will new investors come on board?

We believe so. If we see that there is social peace and dialogue between the government and the territory, investors will come. If we continue with the tug-of-war, the eventual investors will get further and further away, even those who have already presented themselves. Those who had applied are now less trusting of the territory.

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